Prior learning assessment (PLA) is the process of evaluating learning, regardless of when or where the learning occurred, and, if the learning is at the college level, awarding college credit to the possessor of that learning. This article provides an overview of the PLA program at a large public U.S. institution and presents the findings of the…

Recently, the authors have been exploring the use of propensity score methods for developing evidence of program impact. Specifically, they have been developing evidence (after one year of implementation) of the effects of the Math Science Partnership in New York City ("MSPinNYC2") on high school students' achievement--both in terms of…

A place-based learning community called "Klamath Connection" was designed to improve the academic performance of freshman in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) majors at Humboldt State University, a midsize public institution in a location geographically and culturally unfamiliar to the majority of its students. The…

Increasing the share of vocational secondary schooling has been a mainstay of development policy for decades, especially in formerly socialist countries. However, the transition to market economies led to significant restructuring of school systems and a decline in the number of vocational students. Exposing more students to a general curriculum…

Findings from this study show that educational and mobility opportunities for families and students participating in the Chilean voucher system are not homogenously distributed. Some families and students use and benefit from the system, while others will remain marginalized. The quantitative results in this study demonstrate that students of…

A dramatic shift in research priorities has recently produced a large number of ambitious randomized trials in K-12 education. In most cases, the aim is to improve student academic learning by improving classroom instruction. Embedded in these studies are theories about how the quality of classroom must improve if these interventions are to…

To inform effective school-to-work programs, this study evaluates the effect of a school-based psychoeducational intervention on the academic self-efficacy of urban youth enrolled in the ninth grade. Using a mixed-methods design, data were collected using a quantitative measure of academic self-efficacy and eight semistructured interviews over the…

The popularity of semestered timetable organization is founded on the belief that this organizational change makes a positive contribution to the social, emotional, and cognitive growth of students. This research attempted to test the validity of that belief by identifying the claims made for timetable reorganization, formulating these claims as…

Home visitors were used to teach mothers to be more effective educational change agents in their own homes. The one-hour visits continued over 30 weeks. The initial sample consisted of 72 Negro mothers and their first grade children. All children has had 8-week summer Head Start. Five treatment groups were (1) Mother-Involved Cognitive home…

Nongradedness is a type of internal organization for a school that groups students on the basis of an intergrade plane. This approach attempts to adapt instruction to individual differences. Grouping principles include physical factors, social maturity and personality factors, mental maturity, academic status, and teacher personality within the…

Twnety-seven hypotheses relative to middle school operations were generated and tested through analyses of data gathered. Using various instruments data was obtained from: students, teachers, principals, and central administrative offices. Discussions and findings about the hypotheses are presented, and each is catalogued according to whether it…

Analyzes how Canadian immersion education has developed from its origins to the present in terms of a cycle guided by the interplay between theory and classroom practice of second- language acquisition. Johnson responds by questioning the extent to which bilingual education theory and practices are universal or context specific. (38 references)…

The increased use of criterion-referenced statewide testing programs is an outgrowth of the need for more diagnostic information for planning and decision making than is provided by norm-referenced programs. There remains, however, a need for state agencies to compare the results of local districts to a variety of comparison groups for the purpose…

The purpose of this study is to examine an Africentric rite of passage program's impact on African-American male high school students. It is intended to determine whether a rite of passage program will affect attendance, discipline and achievement. The study also investigates the development of a school-based Africentric program as well as its…